


The Ones Beside Him

by LyriaBlackFrost



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Fluff, Friendship, Gen, brotherhood era
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-25
Updated: 2019-02-25
Packaged: 2019-11-05 14:49:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 754
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17920898
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LyriaBlackFrost/pseuds/LyriaBlackFrost
Summary: They were supposed to protect the future King. However, more than anything else, they just wanted to stand beside someone they loved.





	The Ones Beside Him

Gladiolus Amicitia was a shield.

He was born to protect the king from any harm that ever came his way, even at the cost of his own life, and he was proud of it. What he failed to understand, however, was where his duty ended, and where “Gladio” begun.

He first questioned it after he got that ugly scar on his face, protecting Noctis from a bunch of troublemakers. Even as he bled, he didn’t hesitate, standing between the prince and his opponents, ready to do whatever he needed to keep that boy safe.

He was a shield, after all... The King’s shield. Noctis’ shield.

But, when he saw that brat beside him at the hospital, with his eyes puffed from crying, refusing to leave his side, he realized that being a shield was just part of his unwavering motivation to keep him safe.

Even if Noctis wasn’t a prince, Gladio would still have protected him, anyway.

 

* * *

 

Ignis Scientia was a brother.

Or so said King Regis when he was first introduced to his young son, Noctis. If he had to be honest, Ignis wasn’t sure what to expect from his new duty: the prince was just four-years-old — two years younger than Ignis himself — and, at least according to his family, Ignis would have to bend to his every whim, which was far from being a pleasant thought. It wasn’t surprising that, at first, his mental image of the prince was that of an annoying, pampered child, who probably thought he was the center of the universe.

That initial idea he had of Noctis didn’t last after their first meeting: if anything, Noctis was more than happy to have someone his age around. As strange as it sounded, the time Ignis spent with Noctis during his younger days was the first occasion he actually felt like a child: playing with wooden swords, stealing food from the kitchen, escaping furtively to the garden when they weren’t supposed to leave their rooms. Things he never thought he would do, and certainly wasn’t supposed to.

But he still did, because playing with Noctis never felt like a duty to him. During all those years together, Ignis never felt like anything less than part of Noctis’ family.

Regis had been right, after all.

 

* * *

 

Prompto Argentum was a friend.

His motivation to follow Noctis was never more or less than that. He simply liked Noctis, and wanted to be with him as much as he could. Walking together after school, going to the arcade, spending time at each other’s homes… At some point, Prompto could barely believe he hadn’t been doing all those things with Noctis his whole life.

Sometimes, he forgot his best friend was the future King, and was surprised to see all the fuss that surrounded him, and how respectful everyone acted around the same guy he so frequently called a _nerd_.

He once asked Noctis if that bothered him, and, as a response, he received a nudge on his ribs and a “don’t be stupid”. It made him feel relieved… Maybe it was pretentious of him to think so, but he liked to stand beside Noctis, and not watch him from afar. He was his first and best friend, and Prompto hoped that was something that would never change, no matter how much time passed, or how far they were from each other.

So, if Noctis ever needed someone, he needed only to look right beside him.

 

* * *

 

Noctis Lucis Caelum was a prince.

But, before that, he was just a person.

It was easy to forget it when everyone treated him like was special, as if expecting great things from him. But how could he be great when he didn’t even know how to properly fold his own clothes?

More often than not, the pressure of being himself was just too much, and, sometimes, he felt like his body was way too heavy for him to get out of his bed.

Still, among all people, there were those three.

Gladio, who would laugh at how clumsy he was during their training together. Ignis, who would never stop pestering him about his laziness and terrible eating habits. Prompto, who would just straight up slap his ass and call him a “bad bitch”.

They saw him as “Noctis” before seeing him as a prince, without even realizing how much that meant for him. How happy they made him just by being there, by his side.

Despite never saying it out loud, Noctis loved them above anything else.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed this fic, kudos and comments are highly appreciated! ♥


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